News news news...

This afternoon the alternative London radio station @NTSlive will be airing a new PSB feature titled “Pet Shop Boys (In Focus)”. The show will be available to stream online from 2pm GMT at the link below.

https://www.nts.live/

Merci Giacou, ça aiguise la curiosité. Ce qui est dit sur la qualité de l’enregistrement et de la production semble un peu rassurant (impression confirmée par Burning the Heather).

L'album sera superbe. L'extrait qu'on entend dans le teaser provient de Will-o the wisp.

giac the lad a écrit:

l'album sonne très 80's

...très très étonnant de leur part

Spoiler alert ! Voici une revue des 4 autres morceaux de l'album !

6. I don’t wanna.
Gentle washes of textural synth are quickly destroyed by a thumping, insistent bassline, wailing electronica and Neil exclaiming “I don’t wanna go out! I don’t wanna go dancing!” and it excites the holy living brown stuff out of me. Whack! Have that.
And then...it calms and a breathy, lower-register Neil takes over...
“Lonely boy, he has, his head in the clouds.
Sits at home, with no one around.
Feels so shy,
He’d rather sit alone,
And cry”
And it’s back to shouty Neil and the brilliant, wailing synths.
As the second verse hits, a new, bleep-bloop synth-line joins the fray. This happens a lot on Hotspot; just when you think you know the instrumentation/sonic texture, Chris sticks his foot out and sends you flying with something new. Sometimes wearing a jackboot, others in house slippers. I’m tired, that’s my analogy and I’m sticking with it. Either way, he never lets us down.

7. Monkey Business.
Brace yourselves, I imagine this song might be polarising. It’s one of the most bonkers songs they’ve ever committed to vinyl/CD/ones and zeroes.
And I think it’s proper ace.

I’m looking for monkey business!
Just playin’ around.
I’m looking for monkey business,
Look what I’ve found!

The is Uncle Neil and Auntie Chris getting down and dirty in a sleazy 70s disco, with bouncing beats, a meaty, thunderously funky bassline and some classic glitterball string stabs and trumpets, swimming in reverb. Now this is a groooove, baby.
Neil’s on top form here and he’s got his cheeky hat on.

Hanging from the rafters,
I’m a chimpanzee,
What I do for afters,
You’ll have to wait and see!

I guffawed at that the first time I heard it. Just Magic. Neil, I love you.

The song builds and builds, the music shifts and grows, the female backing becomes more ludicrous... and you kind of never want it to end. Which, unfortunately, it does...with that most criminal of endings: a fade. Nooooo! Why?!

It’s an absolute cracker and to give any more away would be to spoil it.

8. Only the dark.
Possibly the most wistful of all the songs on Hotspot. It reminds me a little of A Real Hero from the Drive soundtrack. It’s soft, twinkly and very 80s.

...although the dark is leaving its mark,
It’s not gonna last.
So let’s enjoy the dark, until it gets light,
It happens so fast.

Hotspot’s melodies are strong, particularly the chorus here – it surprises and delights, with its curved notes and dreamy vocals.

Don’t be scared,
For only the dark,
can show you the stars.

Lovely.

9. Burning the heather.
You’ve all heard this one. I think it might be Hotspot’s quiet masterpiece. I don’t what it is about this song, but it’s almost brought me to tears on more than one occasion. It’s just so impossibly melancholic, to me. Identity, ageing, loneliness and acceptance. And that chorus, it kills me every time. Adore.

Sorry, you don’t care! Haha. Had to say it, though.

New stuff:
The first verse brings this additional lyric:

You’ve got me all wrong
I’m not on your grapevine
When I came along
You were just, in my eyeline

I’m not one to stare
I’m not that committed,
But I’m always aware,
Of what isn’t permitted.

After the first chorus, we’re treated to a short West End girls/King’s Cross trumpet break.

Top qual.

10. Wedding in Berlin.

Or as I’d like to call it: Funeral in Berlin.

Oh boys, no. Just no. As I’m sure you know, this was written and recorded as a wedding gift for friends. A wonderful, unforgettable and special thing to receive, I’m certain.

But an album track this is not. Holy effing moly. The lyrics are sparse and, though sweet I guess?), they’re just awful.

A repetitive, shuffling, almost-tuneless beat is interrupted by the very tuneful...

“We’re getting married,
because we love each other,
we’re getting married today.

We’re getting married,
Because the time feels right,
We’re doing it without delay”

And then Mendelssohn’s Wedding March parps its way in.

I hated this on first listen. Now, it merely disappoints. A PSB song shouldn’t make you wince/cringe/hide under the duvet!!

Yes, it’s quite sweet and maybe, maybe, if you’re about to get married it might have some value, but as a closer to such a brilliant album? Look at my lovely painting, now watch as I smear it in faeces. I think not.

In the insanely unlikely event the Neil and Chris read this: I’m sorry.

Look, Wedding will either leave you scratching your head, dumbfounded, or you’ll loved it and I’m stupid and deaf and just too dumb to get the clever joke.
Annoyingly, I’ve found myself humming this one when out and about. Catchy isn’t always a sign of quality, I guess.

To summarise: Hotspot is an absolute belter of an album. You guys are in for such a treat. Unless your ears work differently to mine, in which case you’re in for a searing disappointment. Especially after reading all this.

I should say that Chris, who I probably haven’t mentioned enough, is at the absolute top of his game on Hotspot. This is peak Lowe.

I thought this was a one star album after my first listen.
How wrong I were.

This far into their career, this album shouldn't be possible. They've earnt the right to coast and take it easy. Not a chance.
Four and a half stars.

Merci Juga...
Je serais curieux de savoir que ce que le gars a pensé des albums précédents, histoire d’avoir une échelle de comparaison. Mais il donne envie d’entendre ça, en tout cas !

On a de la chance d'avoir copié-collé les commentaires de ce gars, il s'est fait pourrir sur le forum anglais par un taré qui ne comprenait pas qu'il ne partageait pas l'album (le management des PSB lui avait filé un lien parce qu'il était dans les médias, qui bien sûr devait rester personnel), si bien qu'il a effacé son post...
Mon dieu, l'ambiance est toujours aussi désastreuse sur ce forum (je n'y poste jamais rien), je me demande pourquoi l'administrateur ne réagit pas. Bref on est mieux chez nous, les froggies ^^

Que ce soit sur facebook ou le forum anglais, c'est sur qu'il y a des crétins. Celui qui a fait la review a bien dit qu'il risquait son job s'il partageait l'album. Sur facebook, un mec s'est fait pourrir... pour avoir dit qu'il avait west end girl en vinyl...

Farfounet a écrit:

Je serais curieux de savoir que ce que le gars a pensé des albums précédents, histoire d’avoir une échelle de comparaison. Mais il donne envie d’entendre ça, en tout cas !

"Bear in mind, I think This used to be the future is one of the greatest things they've ever done. What does that tell you? Nothing, but I feel better for saying it. I guess, we all like, expect and hope for different things from N&C.

I don't know where I'm going with this.

Before listening for the first time my expectations weren't low, but they certainly weren't high.
I didn't like Dreamland (I do now) and I loved Burning the heather...

Oh christ. What have I done?

Hotspot's brilliance has caught me totally off-guard, I hope you have a similar experience.

I'd put it at least on par with Electric and prefer it to Super, and sounds like neither.

For further context, my favourite albums are, shock horror, Behaviour and Very - and their top-two switched depending on my mood."

jugamera a écrit:

Farfounet a écrit:

Je serais curieux de savoir que ce que le gars a pensé des albums précédents, histoire d’avoir une échelle de comparaison. Mais il donne envie d’entendre ça, en tout cas !

"Bear in mind, I think This used to be the future is one of the greatest things they've ever done. What does that tell you? Nothing, but I feel better for saying it. I guess, we all like, expect and hope for different things from N&C.

I don't know where I'm going with this.

Before listening for the first time my expectations weren't low, but they certainly weren't high.
I didn't like Dreamland (I do now) and I loved Burning the heather...

Oh christ. What have I done?

Hotspot's brilliance has caught me totally off-guard, I hope you have a similar experience.

I'd put it at least on par with Electric and prefer it to Super, and sounds like neither.

For further context, my favourite albums are, shock horror, Behaviour and Very - and their top-two switched depending on my mood."

J'aime bien la façon qu'il a d'écrire et de décrire ce qu'il ressent ! Il semblerait que ce soit un mec bien !

jugamera a écrit:

Farfounet a écrit:

Je serais curieux de savoir que ce que le gars a pensé des albums précédents, histoire d’avoir une échelle de comparaison. Mais il donne envie d’entendre ça, en tout cas !

"Bear in mind, I think This used to be the future is one of the greatest things they've ever done. What does that tell you? Nothing, but I feel better for saying it. I guess, we all like, expect and hope for different things from N&C.

I don't know where I'm going with this.

Before listening for the first time my expectations weren't low, but they certainly weren't high.
I didn't like Dreamland (I do now) and I loved Burning the heather...

Oh christ. What have I done?

Hotspot's brilliance has caught me totally off-guard, I hope you have a similar experience.

I'd put it at least on par with Electric and prefer it to Super, and sounds like neither.

For further context, my favourite albums are, shock horror, Behaviour and Very - and their top-two switched depending on my mood."

Haha, merci Jug’

Behaviour et Very comme albums préférés...

Il a fait un "update" pour le dernier titre qu'il avait détesté au départ ^^

** 8.12.19 Update**
I no longer skip Wedding in Berlin. It's not terrible, it's perfectly fine. As an instrumental it would actually be quite enjoyable, and there's bit of Chris brilliance near the end where the whole thing seems to stop, but then it winds back up and kicks back in.

That said, it still totally and unequivocally does not fit on this album. It's utterly incongruous.

C'est sans doute très intéressant mais j'évite de le lire maintenant pour ne pas être influencé. Après coup pourquoi pas : ) Vivement que l'album soit disponible (et plus rapidement cette nouvelle face B à se mettre sous la dent vendredi).

Il dit que tous les morceaux de l’album sont des Go West en puissance.

Voilà, comme ça tu seras pas influencé.

Comment ça se fait que personne n'a mis la main sur Decide ? Des fans ont reçu le vinyle il y a une semaine déjà !

Philippe a écrit:

Comment ça se fait que personne n'a mis la main sur Decide ? Des fans ont reçu le vinyle il y a une semaine déjà !

Si tu savais comme j'essaye Philippe! j'ai écrit en mp à tous ceux qui ont dit avoir le vinyle (certains allemands ont pu donc l'avoir en avance)... quête bredouille, avares de partage qu'ils sont ... donc patience!

Comment ça se fait que les femmes de ménage n'aient plus les morceaux ?

Je sens qu'il y a un jeu de mots qui nous échappe jug'

giac the lad a écrit:

Il a fait un "update" pour le dernier titre qu'il avait détesté au départ ^^

** 8.12.19 Update**
I no longer skip Wedding in Berlin. It's not terrible, it's perfectly fine. As an instrumental it would actually be quite enjoyable, and there's bit of Chris brilliance near the end where the whole thing seems to stop, but then it winds back up and kicks back in.

That said, it still totally and unequivocally does not fit on this album. It's utterly incongruous.

Ce morceau sera peut être le prochain Legacy de Yes, avec les pour et les contre

giac the lad a écrit:

Je sens qu'il y a un jeu de mots qui nous échappe jug'

Cette idée date, mais ce n'est pas de moi

Citation :

Ce morceau sera peut être le prochain Legacy de Yes, avec les pour et les contre

Ce serait parfait.

Decide snippet (mauvaise qualité) :

https://m.soundcloud.com/lkjhgfdsa/decide-snippet-pet-shop-boys

effectivement le son est pourri mais cela me j'ai penser à : On of the crowd.

C’est inaudible... j’attendrai.

Précisions sur les précommandes du site officiel, qui m'ont fait franchir le pas :

Un pack est disponible avec un double CD contenant l'album ET l'album en instrumental
Il y a également une cassette en plus de l'album et du vinyle.

J'ai précommandé le double CD et le vinyle.

Un imprimé de la pochette de l'album signé par Neil et Chris est en bonus jusqu'à Noël (et dans la limite des stocks j'imagine). Ceux qui avaient déjà précommandé en auront un